Hush puppies are small, golden balls of cornmeal batter from the American South, where they belong with a portion of fried fish just as naturally as French fries do in Denmark. The batter is simple: cornmeal, a little plain flour, baking powder, egg and buttermilk, seasoned with grated onion and a hint of cayenne pepper. According to the most widely told story, they got their name because cooks threw scraps of the fried batter to barking dogs to make them hush.
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Traditionally they are deep-fried, but in the air fryer you only need 2 tbsp rapeseed oil for the basket and for brushing. The result is a crisp crust and a soft, slightly grainy crumb – and with honey butter on the side, they are hard to stop eating.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I Love Hush Puppies in the Air Fryer
For me, hush puppies are the obvious side dish when fish or BBQ is on the menu. They are crisp on the outside and soft inside, and the onion and cayenne pepper cut through the mild sweetness of the cornmeal. They are also made from things most people already have in the cupboard.
The best thing about the air fryer version is that you don’t need a pot of hot oil on the stove. There is no smell of frying in the kitchen and no used oil to get rid of afterwards, yet the balls still turn golden and crisp.
The Difference Between an Air Fryer and a Deep Fryer
In a deep fryer, the balls are surrounded by oil and get an even, dark crust. In the air fryer, it is the circulating hot air that does the work, so the crust becomes a little thinner and paler, while the inside stays light and airy. That is why two things are crucial: the basket must be greased so the balls don’t stick, and they must sit 1-2 cm apart. If they are packed tightly, they steam instead of turning crisp.
My Kitchen Test of Hush Puppies
I have baked hush puppies in my Cosori Dual Blaze, where the heating elements sit both above and below the single basket. At 190 °C for 12 minutes, the balls turned golden brown and crisp, and I still gently turned them with tongs after 6 minutes to get an even colour. With 15 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of resting time, they are ready in 42 minutes in total. I check with a toothpick in the middle of a ball: if it comes out clean, they are done; otherwise they get 1-2 more minutes. In a large Philips XXL there is room for more balls at a time, while a smaller air fryer may need two batches.
Dampen your hands with cold water before you roll the balls, and give the batter its full resting time. That way the balls hold their shape in the basket and stay round instead of spreading out.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The most common mistake is skipping the resting time. The batter is thick and sticky right after you have mixed it, and only once the cornmeal has absorbed the liquid for 15 minutes can it be rolled into balls. If it is still very soft, stir in 1-2 tbsp more cornmeal. Mistake number two is mixing for too long: stop as soon as there is no dry flour left, otherwise the balls become dense and tough. Mistake number three is an overcrowded basket with no oil, where the balls stick and turn pale. Grease the basket with a thin layer of oil, leave space between the balls, brush them with the rest of the oil, and bake in two batches rather than crowding the basket.
How to Serve Hush Puppies
Hush puppies should be served warm, so the honey butter from the recipe melts into the hot balls. My best suggestions:
- With fried fish, fish and chips or prawns
- With BBQ such as pulled pork and ribs
- With remoulade or coleslaw instead of honey butter
- On their own as a snack with honey butter for dipping
Variations You Can Try
If you want to vary the batter, you can fold in 2 finely chopped spring onions or 50 g grated cheddar, and a finely chopped jalapeño adds more heat. If you are making them for children, you can halve the cayenne pepper.
Storage and Reheating
Hush puppies are best on the same day, but they keep for 1-2 days in the fridge when covered. Reheat them in the air fryer at 180 °C for 3-5 minutes, until crisp again – in the microwave the crust turns soft. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw them in the fridge overnight before they go back into the air fryer.
Hush puppies are an easy and unusual side dish that brings a touch of the American South to the table without a pot full of oil. Give the batter its resting time, and let the air fryer do the rest.
FAQ
Hush puppies are small cornmeal balls with onion from the American South. They are a classic side for fried fish and BBQ and are normally deep-fried, but in the air fryer they are baked crisp with a little oil.
No. A corn dog is a sausage on a stick that is dipped in corn batter and deep-fried. Hush puppies are just balls of the batter, with no sausage or any other filling.
Recipe
Hush Puppies in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring cup
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 Large bowl
- 2 Small bowl
- 1 Grater
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Brush
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Toothpick
Shopping list
How to make it
Preparation
- Grate 1 pcs onion finely on the grater and keep the juice – it adds both flavour and moisture to the batter.
- Whisk 1 pcs egg and 125 ml buttermilk together in a small bowl, then stir in the grated onion.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 190 °C fan.
- Dampen your hands lightly with cold water and roll the batter into about 20 balls the size of a walnut (about 3 cm in diameter).
- Grease the air fryer basket with a thin layer of the oil so the balls don’t stick.
- Place the balls in the basket 1-2 cm apart so the hot air can circulate around them. If there is not room for all of them at once, bake them in two batches.
- Brush the balls with the rest of the oil – it gives the crisp, golden crust that would otherwise come from deep-frying.
- Bake the balls at 190 °C for 12 minutes. Carefully turn them with tongs after 6 minutes so they become golden all the way round.
- Check that the balls are golden brown and crisp on the outside, and push a toothpick into the centre of one of them – it should come out clean. Give them 1-2 more minutes at 190 °C if they need it.
Our notes for the recipe
Give the batter its full resting time – only once the cornmeal has absorbed the liquid can it be rolled into balls that hold their shape in the basket. Use cornmeal and not cornstarch, and leave a little space between the balls so they turn crisp all the way round. If the batter sticks to your hands, dampen them again as you go. Variation:
Fold 2 finely chopped spring onions or 50 g grated cheddar into the batter, or add more heat with a finely chopped jalapeño. For children, you can halve the cayenne pepper. Serving:
Serve the balls warm as a side with fried fish, fish and chips, prawns or BBQ such as pulled pork and ribs. The honey butter melts into the warm balls, but a remoulade or coleslaw goes nicely with them too. Portion size:
The batter makes about 20 balls, so about 5 per person. If your air fryer is smaller, you can make the dish in two batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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